Pep Guardiola has ignited fresh debate over VAR by likening the technology to a “flip of a coin” and expressing a complete lack of trust in the system since its 2019 introduction to English football. The Manchester City manager’s outburst comes amid widespread scrutiny after a controversial stoppage-time decision in West Ham’s clash with Arsenal sparked outcry across the Premier League table.
Guardiola’s frustration is rooted in personal anguish, with his side having now lost the last two FA Cup finals in which he believes critical officiating errors, compounded by VAR’s failure to intervene, cost them silverware. “We lost the two finals of the FA Cup because the referees didn’t do their jobs they should do, even the VAR,” he stated plainly, referencing the 2023 defeat to Manchester United and the 2024 loss to Crystal Palace.
In the 2023 showpiece at Wembley, City were denied what many pundits considered clear penalties on two occasions – first when Jack Grealish appeared to be felled by Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and later when a handball claim against Fred went unpunished. The on-field referee waved play on both times, and VAR official Michael Salisbury saw no “clear and obvious error,” leaving Guardiola and City fans seething that the game’s biggest stage had been decided without justice.
The following year’s final against Palace produced an even more egregious moment, in Guardiola’s view. With the match heading toward a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw, Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson handled the ball two yards outside his penalty area to intercept a long pass, yet referee Craig Pawson only produced a yellow card. A red card would have forced an outfield player into goal and reduced Palace to ten men for the closing minutes – a game-changing scenario that VAR inexplicably overlooked. City ultimately lost the shootout, and the sense of injustice deepened.
The cumulative weight of these high-profile failures has led Guardiola to declare: “I never trust anything since I arrived a long time ago. Always I learned you have to do it better… because (VAR) is a flip of a coin.” His metaphor cuts to the heart of a wider crisis: if VAR introduces randomness rather than certainty, it undermines the very purpose of its existence.
Yet Guardiola, in his characteristically rigorous manner, refused to wallow in victimhood. He pivoted to a message of self-improvement, insisting that his players must render refereeing decisions irrelevant by performing so dominantly that no single call can sway an outcome. “When this happens it is because we have to do better, not the referees or VAR,” he said. “The only thing we can do is do it better, that is only in your control.”
That philosophy carries direct significance as Manchester City chase an unprecedented fifth consecutive Premier League title. Trailing Arsenal ahead of their midweek trip to Selhurst Park, Guardiola’s men know that anything less than victory against Crystal Palace would all but hand the trophy to the Gunners. Even a win would only cut the gap to two points, requiring Arsenal to drop points in their final two matches against relegated Burnley and, ironically, Crystal Palace.
“Of course it is not in our hands in the Premier League,” Guardiola conceded, a rare admission of vulnerability from a manager synonymous with relentless perfectionism. “Always I say to the players, ‘Do it, do it, do it better’.” The mantra echoes his broader defiance: rather than curse fate, reshape it.
Beyond the immediate title race, City prepare for a historic third consecutive FA Cup final appearance when they face Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday. It is a shot at redemption for a team that has dominated English football but repeatedly stumbled in the decisive moments of the domestic cup. Guardiola will no doubt drill his squad on the fine margins that turned the previous finals, aware that the same invisible forces – whether human or technological – could resurface.
The backdrop of the West Ham-Arsenal controversy only amplifies the stakes. That decision, which saw a potential equaliser ruled out after a four-minute review for offside, affected both ends of the table: Arsenal clung to a crucial win, while West Ham missed a chance to bolster their European push. Guardiola’s “flip of a coin” analogy seems prescient; on any given VAR check, the outcome feels disturbingly arbitrary.
City’s encounters with Palace this season have been fraught, including a 2-2 draw at the Etihad in which they conceded late. Wednesday’s game offers no margin for error, and Guardiola is acutely aware that the title race could effectively be decided not by a moment of brilliance but by the invisible hand of a VAR call once more.
As Guardiola refuses to place blame solely on officials, his dual message – that VAR is broken yet teams must rise above it – encapsulates the conflicted relationship modern football has with technology. For all its promise of clarity, VAR has muddied the waters, leaving even its harshest critics dependent on its whims.
City’s path forward is clear: win every match and hope Arsenal falter. But as Guardiola well knows, the coin doesn’t always land in your favour. Based on reporting from BBC Sport.
